This invention relates to an earth or ground anchor device, and in particular to a device of the type which is used to hold a guy wire or the like.
Earth anchors of the type proposed herein, i.e. employing the same concept as the present invention, have been in existence for some time. Examples of such anchors are described in Canadian Patent No. 1,045,331, which issued to R. F. Deike on Jan. 2, 1979, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,673, which issued to R. F. Deike on June 27, 1978.
In general, existing ground anchors have significant disadvantages. One such disadvantage is the anchoring ability of the device which is dictated by the size of the anchor. In soft soil, larger bearing areas are required; otherwise, the bearing capacity of the soil around the anchor is exceeded, causing release of the anchor. Large anchors cause insertion problems, because a substantial effort is required to drive the anchors into the ground. Another disadvantage of existing anchor devices is that such devices are driven into the ground anchor first, i.e. with the anchor at the bottom, penetrating end of the device. In order to maximize the anchoring capacity, the device should be curved. This need is incompatible with the streamlined shape required for driving a pointed article into the ground. Attempts to effect a trade-off between the two requirements has resulted in anchoring devices which are deficient in terms of anchoring ability and/or ease of insertion into the ground.
An object of the present invention is to overcome the above-identified problems by providing a relatively simple anchoring device which is easy to insert into the ground, regardless of soil conditions.
Another object of the invention is to provide an anchoring device which may include one or more anchors for simultaneous insertion into the ground as required by soil conditions.